MLA is pleased to be co-sponsoring a special Mold & Moisture Seminar presented by Mark LaLiberte of Building Knowledge, Inc. LaLiberte is sponsored by our educational partner, Hallmark Building Supplies, Inc.

Who: MLA members and their contractor customers

When: Wednesday, February 1, 2006

            9 a.m. – 12 p.m. with continental breakfast provided 8 – 9 a.m.

Where: Holiday Inn Select, 2200 I-70 Dr. SW, Columbia, Mo.

Price: $35 per person for pre-registration by January 20. ($50 per person after Jan. 20)

Free EEBA Water Management Guide (an $18 value) to everyone who registers by January 20.

As a distinguished trainer, author and consultant, Mark LaLiberte of Building Knowledge, Inc. has devoted nearly two decades to educating the building industry about the benefits of constructing more durable, energy efficient and healthier homes. It is LaLiberte’s commitment to helping builders reduce callbacks and litigation that keeps him traveling nationwide, reaching more than 8,000 builders annually.

Join us to learn about…

• Mold and litigation issues facing builders today.
• Moisture and water management.
• Using vapor barriers in the Midwest climate.
• Decreasing liability and increasing customer satisfaction.
• High performance homes – dos, don’ts and whys.
• Marketing for profit, the energy efficient and better built home.
• Best practices for installing windows and doors that don’t leak.

Go to www.themla.com to download a registration form. Or call MLA at 800-747-6529 to have a form faxed to you today.

 MLA EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Early Bird Deadline – February 15! 

March 6-7 – Fayetteville, Ark.

March 8-9 – Kansas City, Mo. 

Advanced Materials Estimating School… This advanced piece-by-piece estimating seminar is designed to assist the estimator or outside salesperson/estimator who already knows how to estimate but wants some shortcuts and instructions in multi-pitched roofs, including stick framing and finding wall lengths, floor area, and more complicated house layouts. Students receive the estimating guidebook as part of the class. 

March 10 – Kansas City, Mo.

Member Pricing: 

Basic Estimating - $450 per person

Advanced Estimating - $325 per person

Early Bird Discounts available – see registration form for details. Sign up early to get the best price.

Complete information and registration forms are available upon request from MLA at 800-747-6529. Or, simply reply to this email and we’ll send complete information today! 

OSHA RECORDKEEPING

This month, NLBMDA’s “Training Without Travel” teleconference brings you up to date information about OSHA recordkeeping. The teleconference is scheduled for:

Date: Thursday, January 26, 2006

Time: 1:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time

Cost: Only $95 for members

Learn the answers to such questions as:

• We had a truck driver cause an accident that resulted in another driver’s death. Is it true OSHA can fine us for not reporting the accident? Is it really $5,000 per day we can be fined?

• We have nine employees the entire year and pick up three or four extra during the summer. Do we need to keep injury records?

• Our controller fell at the post office and injured his knee. Is that recordable?

• Our company has never completed any OSHA forms. Do we need to? When do we have to complete the injury forms? What are the OSHA 300, 300A and 301 forms?

No travel or time away from the office is necessary! Dial into this teleconference from your own place of business. You’ll receive a one-hour briefing and then participate in 30-45 minutes of Q&A.

LUMBER NEWS – QUICK GLIMPSES

Internet Sales Tax… A bill to allow collection of Internet sales taxes has, at last, been introduced in the Senate. Just before adjourning, Sen. Michael Enzi (R-WY) introduced the Sales Tax Fairness & Simplification Act, saying, “The states have made tremendous progress in changing their laws to become compliant. It is now time for Congress to provide states that enact the Streamlined Sales & Use Tax Agreement with the authority to collect sales and use taxes from remote retailers.”

Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) introduced a similar bill, the major difference being he wants the SBA to define “small” for the purpose of an exemption for retailers with a low volume in remote sales. Enzi’s bill defines small as less than $5 million in gross annual remote sales.

Although the Conference of State Legislatures has been a driving force in pushing for this legislation, three organizations representing cities registered immediate opposition. The National League of Cities, the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Government Finance Officers Administration are worried that they could lose significant revenue from fees they impose on telecommunications services such as right-of-way fees, per-line subscriber charges and franchise fees.

Source: North American Retail Hardware Association, January 5, 2006

Good News About Economy… “There is a lot of very good news to talk about when it comes to the American economy. We’re growing at a steady pace, and the benefits of that economic growth are touching more Americans every day. From record levels of home ownership to the creation of four and a half million new jobs, the economic news continues to paint a clear picture: that the opportunities created by lower taxes and sound monetary policy have helped the American economy grow and maintain its position as the envy of the world,” said Secretary John Snow.

Source: U.S. Treasury Department, January 5, 2006

Housing Market to Simmer Down This Year?… The U.S. housing market ended 2005 with some distinct notches in its tool belt, setting new records for home sales, single-family starts, and residential remodeling. Prices of single-family homes and condo units increased by double digits on a national average basis, according to the National Association of Home Builders. Toward the end of the year, the soaring prices of homes combined with escalating interest rates began creating affordability issues and in turn started to slow down the red-hot housing market.

NAHB’s housing forecast indicates that homes sales and conventional housing starts in 2006 will weaken in light of last year but will remain comparable to the excellent performances of 2004. Home appreciation is also expected to lessen this year but continue to be attractive to homebuyers. These forecasts assume that the U.S. housing policy is maintained and that housing incentives in the tax code are not scaled back.

Source: Southern Forest Products Association, January 6, 2006

Logging in Alaska’s Mat-Su Valley Approved… After a lengthy commentary from opponents to logging, Alaskan forestry officials have given the go-ahead to harvest 1,300 acres most probably next winter.

The agreement prohibits logging in nearby wetlands and represents the largest offering in the area in the last twenty years. The decision is now open to appeal until January 24th.

Source: LBM Daily, January 9, 2006

Federal Judge Halts Numerous Northwest Timber Sales… U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman granted an injunction to prevent as many as 144 timber sales, worth approximately $2.7 million, in Washington, Oregon and California. Judge Pechman supported a return to the “survey-and-manage” rule that was set aside in 2004 as part of the Bush administration’s settlement with timber companies.

Environmentalists criticized the U.S. government’s move as arbitrary; Judge Pechman agreed, stating in her ruling Monday that timber sales would proceed once they’d met the previous standard.

Source: LBM Daily, January 10, 2006

Economists Predict Steady Economic Growth in 2006… Despite a housing price slowdown, higher oil prices and Fed rate increases, Wells Fargo’s senior economists forecast steady economic growth next year. Dr. Jim Paulsen, chief investment strategist of Wells Capital Management, said, “The U.S. business sector is looking very healthy, and this will help alleviate the slight slowdown in consumer spending and housing. I believe we’re in the early stages of what will be considered a ‘manufacturing renaissance period’ in the next several years that’s tied to steady trade improvements. We’re also seeing renewed strength in the stock market, and foreign economic growth is accelerating, which further positions the U.S. economy for a more sustainable recovery.”

Source: NACM E-news Weekly Update, January 10, 2006

Thefts At Building Sites Increase… High demand for building materials in the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast, overseas markets and the soaring cost of scrap metals are fueling thefts at building sites across the nation. Appliances, bulldozers and even the copper used in electrical circuitry are being hauled away by thieves. A multibillion-dollar-a-year problem throughout the U.S., thefts add at least 1 percent to the sale price of a new home, according to research by the National Association of Home Builders.

Source: NACM E-news Weekly Update, January 10, 2006

Home Depot Buys Hughes Supply for $3.2B… Home Depot Inc., the nation’s largest home improvement store chain, said Tuesday it will buy Hughes Supply Inc., a distributor of construction, repair and maintenance products, for about $3.2 billion.

The deal would double the size of the Home Depot Supply division, which serves business customers, such as homebuilders, professional contractors, municipalities and maintenance professionals.

Orlando, Fla.-based Hughes Supply, one of the nation’s largest diversified wholesale distributors of construction, repair and maintenance-related products, has more than 500 locations in 40 states. … The acquisition is subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals.

Source: Associated Press/AP Online, Publication date: 2006-01-10; quoted in Builder On-Line Business Update, January 10, 2006
 

Canada Wants New Duty Rates Examined… Yesterday, Canada’s Department of International Trade asked for a review of the latest U.S. softwood lumber duty rates.

“While a reduction of the rate is certainly welcome news, it isn’t enough. There is no doubt in my mind that softwood lumber duties should be dropped and we will keep working on all levels to make sure this happens,” said Trade Minister Jim Peterson.

Canada’s appeal was expected after the U.S. dropped the countervailing duty to 8.7 percent and the anti-dumping duty to 2.11 percent.

Source: LBM Daily, January 12, 2006

Unseasonably Warm Weather Makes Life Difficult for Timber Industry… In Texas, timber growers look with increasing concern on the dry conditions that make the planting season, which began there in the middle of December, a futile enterprise.

“We do not have adequate soil moisture to plant either pine or hardwood seedlings,” in the northeast part of the state, explained John Norris, manager of the reforestation and stewardship programs for the Texas Forest Service.

Meanwhile, in Minnesota, comparatively mild temperatures are wreaking havoc on the timber industry’s ability to move logs out of the state. Soggy surfaces have caused a near-shutdown of logging.

Source: LBM Daily, January 16, 2006